Hockey is what it is, kind of a niche sport compared to the NBA and NFL. I definitely think it will become more diverse and that's ok but I don't see it reaching the point where there's anywhere near more non-whites than whites and that's ok too. More white folks are into hockey and that's just the way it is and how it will be.

There, I fixed it for you, NBA is actually on the decline in terms of popularity and the NHL is on the rise... we are very comparable to the NBA... NFL and MLB are in another league.

Edited by Booster313, 16 October 2010 - 04:46 PM.

What kind of color is red? Red is a warning, a declaration, a color that says I'm ready to do what it takes. Red is focused and driven because red doesn't like second place. So what kind of color is red? Their kind.

On our current roster the Wings have...7 players from Canada 6 players from United States6 players from Sweden2 players from Russia2 players from Czech Republic1 player from Finland

I would say we have quite a bit of diversity too

They come from different backgrounds and different countries, but they are all white. The Politically Correct crowd (which dictates what everyone should think) does not accept diversity of culture. They only care about the colour of one's skin.

In other words, two people who look different, but have exactly the same upbringing, habits, culture, language, history, and may have been raised next door to each other are "diverse" if they have different skin colours, but two people from opposite ends of the earth who have nothing in common except for skin colour are not.

They come from different backgrounds and different countries, but they are all white. The Politically Correct crowd (which dictates what everyone should think) does not accept diversity of culture. They only care about the colour of one's skin.

In other words, two people who look different, but have exactly the same upbringing, habits, culture, language, history, and may have been raised next door to each other are "diverse" if they have different skin colours, but two people from opposite ends of the earth who have nothing in common except for skin colour are not.

And we wonder why racism still prevails.

Way to turn a positive into a negative. Get caught up in semantics much?

I think it's safe to assume that Forsberg or Hasek never had to listen to slurs on the ice.

Way to turn a positive into a negative. Get caught up in semantics much?

I think it's safe to assume that Forsberg or Hasek never had to listen to slurs on the ice.

The whole diversity thing just grates on me. I see too many people who judge by colour of skin in a negative way. Just let people be themselves and don't pay attention to their looks- that's what I think.

Sure "diversity" is a hackneyed and vague term, but the point of my post was that it was good to see a historically underrepresented group have so many guys on one team. They're nowhere near the talent of the Russian Five, but if they were to skate a line I think the cultural significance would be similar. It's unfortunately most often not the case that black and white are culturally similar in the US, and while the players themselves may identify themselves as similar, they without a doubt all do recognize themselves as role models for a minority.

Personally, I used to play as a little kid in LA against Richard Park (formerly of the Islanders, Wild, Pens) and I remember it was his dream to be the first Korean to play in the NHL. While he was just another guy (albeit incredibly talented) to the rest of us, this dream was important enough to him and his family that they moved to Canada when he was 13 so he could have the best chance to make it happen. [in the end Jim Paek beat him to Pittsburgh by a year].

I've rewritten this post and gone back and forth on the issue about 50 times, and here's what I think it boils down to: I think, in the end, it's a good marketing move. The point of a hockey team is to assemble the most talented players you can in order to win as many games as you can. Ordinarily I would say signing players based on race might not necessarily work toward your goal of getting the most talented players, but at the moment, the Thrashers have a bigger problem: nobody cares about them. Even if they did have the most talented players in the league and they won the Stanley Cup this year, not that many people would give a hoot, and they'd still be relying on cash flow from teams like ours to make ends meet.

Things being as they are, though, they are not the most talented team in the league, and I think they would be wise to do something to try to increase their ticket sales any way they can so that THEN, once they have a little revenue flowing in, they can focus on bringing in more talent and going for the ultimate goal, which is to win. That way, they can have their cake and eat it, too; they'll have a good fanbase and a good team for them to cheer for.

That said, I have no idea how this is going to work. Someone please tell me what a guy like Byfuglien, who's from the middle of nowhere in northern Minnesota, has in common with someone who's lived in a Southern urban center like Atlanta all their life. This seems totally cheesy to me...it's like, "Hey, we have black players! See, you should like hockey, too!" You can't force people to like something. Oh well, I guess there's not much risk involved, really...especially considering the slim pickings this off-season. I say that if it gets a few people to give hockey a chance and end up loving it, then it'll be worth it. Be kinda funny if, somewhere down the line, the Ducks were predominantly Hispanic and a majority of the Canucks were Asian, though...

Atlanta is not a hockey market...you need to market the sport to a demographic....Evander Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, Johnny Oduya are pretty kick ass players and they are black. From a marketing perspective it is perfect for the team to represent a large percentage of the population...i guess?

This.

While not (necessarily) a recipe for success in the standings, Atlanta is the perfect city to utilize this tactic with. Evander Kane is good in my book for busting up Matt Cooke last season, and the Thrashers just beat the Sharks on the road, so what do I know about how successful they'll be this season?

People are not Asian American, African American, Irish American, etc... they are American, Canadian, Russian, or wherever else their allegiance and citizenship lies... furthermore, the idiocy behind referring to a Canadian born and bred player as "African American" in itself is moronic and Iginla's interview where he lambasted the interviewer for referring to him as such, gave me a whole different level of respect for him...

How about we stop caring about the color of a players skin and instead focus on the quality of the person off the ice and the player on the ice... I think it's great that this amazing game is expanding to all classes and races, but that should just be looked at as normal, not as something to be applauded, just something to be expected.

Until we can get over ourselves, the PC BS that divides us (such as these titles) and STOP caring about these things, we will never evolve...

I think it's safe to assume that Forsberg or Hasek never had to listen to slurs on the ice.

You are kidding, right? Every Saturday night, for the last 15-20 years, European players have had their toughness, desire & heart questioned on Canadian national TV, and it gets lapped up by a large portion of hockey fans.

I remember during the 97 finals, LeClair had hold of Fedorov during a scrum along the boards. The effects mike picked up "******* commie bastard" clear as a whistle.

How about we stop caring about the color of a players skin and instead focus on the quality of the person off the ice and the player on the ice

Indeed. Didn't someone famous once say he wanted his children to grow up in a world they are judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character?

"If I can be totally honest, it's not a lot of guys you get impressed by. Actually, it's no one else but him. From the bench, to see what move he makes -- you're like, 'I wish I could do that.' Sometimes you sit on the bench and just think, 'wow,' and you look over to the other bench and they sit there and shake their heads, too. He has great, great skills. I'm probably not going to play with another player who has the kind of skills he has." Mikael Samuelsson on Pavel Datsyuk

You are kidding, right? Every Saturday night, for the last 15-20 years, European players have had their toughness, desire & heart questioned on Canadian national TV, and it gets lapped up by a large portion of hockey fans.

I remember during the 97 finals, LeClair had hold of Fedorov during a scrum along the boards. The effects mike picked up "******* commie bastard" clear as a whistle.

Indeed. Didn't someone famous once say he wanted his children to grow up in a world they are judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character?

You are kidding, right? Every Saturday night, for the last 15-20 years, European players have had their toughness, desire & heart questioned on Canadian national TV, and it gets lapped up by a large portion of hockey fans.

Canadians have always been the easiest to blame the European players for their own failures.Maybe in this regard hockey gods don't give them to win the cup for how long ... 15 years